Community managers wear many hats in their business relationship with the associations they manage. They act as a liaison, a resource, and a consultant to help the association boards they serve to make decisions. Community managers have the tough job of being personality neutral when disgruntled unit owners call them complaining about some problem they have with another unit owner or the board. They must be diplomatic as they deal with warring factions that break out among trustees or board members. Managers are on the front lines and can see when a dispute has the potential to turn into legal action.

A Problem Solver

Many community managers inquire about a better way to resolve disputes in community association living than always launching litigation. After all, no one wants on-going conflict where they live. Managers share with me the frustration of associations they manage with regard to the amount of money, time, and aggravation spent in the court system. I ask them if the boards of the associations they manage: "Want to resolve a condominium dispute without taking months or years and costing tens of thousands of dollars?” “Do you want to determine the solution to your own disagreement?" or "Do you want to find a way to resolve disputes so that you have less strife in your life?" Then look no further. You must maximize your mediation.

What is Mediation?

What exactly is mediation, you may ask? Mediation is an informal, confidential process whereby a neutral third party attempts to facilitate and negotiate a resolution to a dispute that is acceptable to all parties involved in the dispute. Mediation is conducted by a trained mediator who acts as a guide or negotiator. The mediator helps the parties find common ground and creative solutions to facilitate a resolution that addresses the concerns, needs and interests of both parties—with the goal of a settlement that both parties can live with.

The parties themselves have a say in the outcome of their dispute. They decide what they will agree to and what they will not. They avoid the risk of losing and a judge determining the resolution. No binding result occurs unless and until an agreement is achieved and signed. The resolution is typically memorialized in a written settlement agreement which is an enforceable contract and performance can be compelled by later court action if one party does not hold up its end of the bargain.

Mediation is an art, not a science. Creative solutions can often be found. Tensions are tamed. Relationships are preserved, which is paramount when you must live together in the same community and maintain on-going relationships. A skilled mediator experienced in community association law can be critical to the success of the process.

CAI's Community Association Law Seminar is brought to you by the College of Community Association Lawyers (CCAL). The program is developed each year as part of CCAL's commitment to advancing the knowledge and practice of community association law.​ The Law Seminar provides a unique learning opportunity to discuss emerging trends and legislative issues important to the practice of community a​ssociation law—as well as excellent opportunities for professional networking. For information, www.caionline.org.

Community association board meetings, committee meetings, and even annual general membership meetings can be successful by taking simple steps to eliminate chaos and confusion. In this webinar, you’ll learn how to keep everyone happy—including the community association member who seems to complain about everything—with seven easy strategies that eliminate tiresome misunderstandings that plague productivity. Register today for a crash course on how to avoid major mistakes that often cause meetings to go off the rails and into disorder. Members: USD $69.00 , Non-Members:USD $99.00. For information, visit www.caionline.org.

The Business of Running your Community Rates $50 - CAI Members $100 - Non-Members Do you serve on the board of your association? Are you considering serving? Whether you are a seasoned board member, a recently elected board member or unit owner wanting to understand more about how an association runs, this is course it for you! Contact Ellen Felix, ellen@caict.org , 860-633-5692.

The safety and security of community association residents and their guests is a common issue for residential communities, but new concerns like increased drug use and abuse, potential active shooter situations, and police and security violence require a new level of education and preparedness. In this webinar, you’ll learn about emerging and essential issues facing community associations and community association managers when it comes to safety and security. Register today to get tools and strategies to limit and mitigate risk within your community, including how to use technology, training, and policies to improve overall resident satisfaction. For information, visit www.caionline.org.

CAI-CT prides itself on offering professional conferences for our members. We bring together the finest industry resources and put them all together in one place to create an informative community association event like no other. Be part of the action. Our conference consistently draws well over 500 decision makers in the Condo/HOA market. Exhibit your company at our next show! For information, visit www.caict.org.

A conservation group is demanding answers from the Massachusetts Port Authority and a development firm, citing a possible conflict of interest if the company is allowed to build condos, offices and shops at a decommissioned power plant in South Boston.
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DO NEW HAMPSHIRE condominium owners have the same rights as other homeowners? The answer is “NO.” Many condo owners in NH are upset over the change in the state condominium law that took place Aug. 1, 2016.
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1/15/2019
Ayanna Pressley's Condo Hits Market For $409K - Patch

1/15/2019
Ayanna Pressley's Condo Hits Market For $409K - Patch

Ayanna Pressley, the first black woman to represent Massachusetts in U.S. Congress, has put her of the 897-square-foot condo in Dorchester up for sale. If you've ever wondered what a Boston City Councilor's home looks like, now's your chance to take a look inside.
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Two condo units in a new boutique development along the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway sold for $4 million-plus each, but a Second Empire town house that dropped for $6.6 million topped our weekly tally of the priciest sales — and Multiple Listing Service records for the biggest sale of a single-family home in the South End.
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1/3/2019
Home prices hit record high in November - Dorchester Reporter

1/3/2019
Home prices hit record high in November - Dorchester Reporter

More single-family homes were sold in Massachusetts last November than in any November before that, according to real estate market analysts, who also noted that they were sold for a higher medium price than in any previous eleventh month.
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The Greater Boston home and condo market enjoyed strong sales through November as more buyers enter the fold. Previous months had seen growing inventory amid excessively high prices. However, buyers in November shrugged off concerns over interest rates and the broader economy to make it the strongest November on record for home sales, according to the Greater Boston Association of Realtors.
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FALL RIVER — A 72-year-old woman was killed, and a second person was critically injured, after the car they were in crashed into an apartment complex here New Year’s Day and struck a natural gas line that sparked a massive fire, officials said.
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New figures released by the Rhode Island Association of Realtors show that Realtor-assisted single-family home sales in South County were down slightly last month, compared with November 2017. A total of 142 homes changed hands, 5 fewer than the closings in the same month a year earlier.
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South Boston residents fed up with condo development are turning to elected leaders for help after they say the Boston Planning & Development Agency has ignored their concerns about a 1,300-unit housing development proposed to replace the old Edison power plant.
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If you own a home in Brookline, property taxes will be going up again overall next year. But Brookline has several tax relief programs to help ease the pain for those owners who might need it most.
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New England Condominium

Welcome to the new online edition of New England Condominium newspaper. The publication serves the New England Condo, HOA and co-op community with informative free articles on management, finance, maintenance and more...